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The definitive guide on where to buy property in Benahavis

If you’re looking for somewhere to live on the Costa del Sol that offers both languid pace of authentic Andalucian village life, but is within a short 10 minute drive to the coast and all it has to offer, then Benahavis is definitely the place to buy.

Although only 7km inland from Spain’s Costa del Sol, Benahavis has got such an atmosphere of calm and tranquillity; it might as well be in deepest rural Andalucia.

It’s quite simply one of the best places to live on the entire Costa del Sol.

And the good news for buyers is, there’s a wide range of different developments offering quality apartments, villas and townhouses for sale.

Here’s my guide to the best of the bunch:

Monte Mayor Golf is a residential area surrounded by the flora and fauna of the nature reserve that adjoins the Monte Mayor Golf and Country Club.

The area enjoys outstanding views to the golf course, mountains and the sea from its elevated position and is home to some quite spectacular private villas built on sizeable plots and as such is a much desired place to live.

Monte Halcones is also a much sought-after residential community of private villas and apartments high up in the hills above San Pedro, just 10 minutes drive to Marbella’s Puerto Banús and with privileged views over the Straits of Gibraltar to the North African coastline beyond.

It’s a mainly residential complex fully occupied 90% of the year.

Because of this, there’s a real sense of community, aided by the presence of cafes, bars, restaurants and shops in community’s commercial centre, which have become popular local meeting points.

Owners here – which include the famous football manager Fabio Capello – really enjoy the best of both worlds because due to its elevated location in the hills, the area enjoys a peaceful ambience quite in contrast to the hustle and bustle of the coast below and yet is within a couple of minutes drive down the Ronda Road to the charming typically Spanish town of San Pedro with all its shops, supermarkets, bars restaurants, sports facilities, the beach, services and other amenities.

Prices of the property for sale in Monte Halcones reflect the community’s upmarket nature.

The chic residential complex of villas in Atalaya Fairways, meanwhile, are the very epitome of ultra contemporary-style and enjoy a privileged position overlooking the Atalaya golf course.

With cream marble floors throughout and spacious rooms, they also boast Domotic home intelligence systems, a sizeable private swimming pool and garden area and for those looking for a property with a low carbon footprint, the hot water is heated via solar panels.

For those wanting to be closer to the heart of Benahavis itself, El Casar is a select ‘village-style’ estate of townhouses set high on the mountainside on the outskirts of the village.

Not only is it a fabulous setting for a residential complex, the quality of the properties for sale in the complex are amongst the best on the Costa del Sol.

The 114 properties that comprise El Casar architecturally reflect the traditionally Andalucian village aesthetics of Benahavis itself, whilst incorporating linear contemporary touches where white washed walls blend with exposed bricks, hand-made terracotta, wrought-ironwork  and dark Iroko hard woods to stylish effect.

Owners in the complex not only enjoy well-kept communal garden areas, but also 3 outdoor swimming pools, plus a pyramid-roofed clubhouse with a bar/cafeteria, a sumptuous lounge area with Wi-Fi Internet connection and an open fireplace, plus a fully/kitted out gym, a sauna, a workout room and a large indoor pool that’s heated throughout from October to May.

With approximately 50% of the properties here occupied at any given time throughout the year, there’s a real sense of community which makes El Casar ideal as both a permanent residence or as a holiday home.

If you’re looking for a great deal on a new apartment in the area, then the apartment for sale in the Los Arqueros golf resort located in the hills above San Pedro Alcantara are amongst the best priced you’ll find anywhere on the Costa del Sol.

Alanda Los Flamingos is another luxurious development of 2 and 3-bedroom apartments set high in the western-most corner of Los Flamingos Golf Resort – one of the places to play on Spain’s Costa del Sol.

Close to the resort’s 3 golf courses and the Villa Padierna 5-star super luxury hotel, the apartments here are built to a very high standard indeed and offer gorgeous panoramic views of the Mediterranean coastline.

They’re also close to the shops, bars, restaurants, sports and watersports facilities, services and amenities of Estepona, the typically Spanish and largely unspoilt coastal town which is just 10 minutes away by car.

So it’s no wonder that of the 96 apartments originally put on sale in this complex, only a few remain.

Interestingly for potential buyers, to encourage sales of these last few units, the developers are also willing to include golf membership with the price of the property.

Marbella Club Golf Resort, just a short drive into the hills from the village is one of the most desirable residential areas of exclusive private villas on the Costa del Sol.

The elite complex occupies some 472 hectares of land surrounded by olive and cork trees and boasts its own 18-hole golf course, clubhouse and equestrian centre amongst many exceptional facilities.

The properties here are equally as impressive.

The villas and plots for sale in La Alqueria are also amongst some of the best quality properties for sale on the coast set as they are on a ridge within the community with great views across the surrounding countryside and the Atalaya golf course.

For those looking for a bargain townhouse or apartment in Benahavis, there are various properties for sale at great prices in La Heredia – an exclusive residential ‘village-style’ community set high on a hillside just off the main Costa del Sol to Ronda road above the charming coastal town of San Pedro de Alcantara.

La Heredia is a unique complex designed to look just like a colourful Andalucian village, and has won awards for its architectural design in which no two properties are alike.

The townhouses, villas and apartments on sale here provide spectacular vistas across the mountains down to the sea.

Los Jardines de Albaicin too is a small gated complex located just by the entrance to the Los Flamingos Golf Resort.

It possesses well-maintained mature gardens through which wind terracotta paved pathways, whilst a stylish swimming pool area is the perfect place for owners to relax and enjoy the Mediterranean sunshine.

Apartments for sale in Benahavis don’t come any more cost effective than the 2 and 3-bedroom apartments available in Las Lomas de Marquez.

In terms of build quality, they’re hard to beat too.

Designed in a ‘white village’ Andalucian-style, Las Lomas de Marquez is just outside the village and boasts great views across the Atalaya golf course to the west, the Serrania de Ronda mountains to the north and the Guadalmina river valley and surrounding countryside to the east.

And talking of great délas, the prices of the new apartments on sale in Capanes del Golf and have been dropped by 30% – in terms of build quality, location and price, both developments now represent almost unbeatable value for money.

At the upper end of the price scale, the villas on sale in La Zagaleta Country Club are quite simply amongst some of the most outstanding properties on sale anywhere in the world.

And with prices starting around the several million mark, they’re also amongst the some of the most expensive properties in the world.

La Zagaleta is a large (900 hectares) and extremely exclusive private gated community of villas situated in the Benahavís hills, some 400m above sea level on the road that links the Costa del Sol with the town of Ronda.

Some 10 minutes drive from the coastal town of San Pedro and approximately 15 minutes by car from Marbella’s famous Puerto Banús, owners in the community enjoy the use of two private golf courses, a private equestrian club, a heliport, a clubhouse with its own restaurant, a bar and discotheque and almost 2000 acres of unspoilt terrain in which live a remarkably diverse range of animal and plant life.

The range of properties on sale is equally diverse.

Along with its neighbour La Zagaleta,  El Madroñal it’s widely considered to be one of the most exclusive residential communities in which to live on the Costa del Sol – if not the whole of Europe.

Sitting in the midst of a pine and cork forest some 400 metres above sea level and with panoramic views of the coastline below and the mountains all around, El Madroñal is home to a variety of both palatial and more modest villas all reached by narrow mountain roads that wind their way through its charming valleys from the community’s 6 separate gated entrances.

Although El Madroñal has the reputation as the ideal secluded mountainside country retreat, it’s actualy quite close to local amenities.

Posted in Costa del Sol Property News, Guide to living on the Costa del Sol on 25-08-2010